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PVC Pipe Industry News

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PVC Pipe Retrospective 2013 – The issues and successes

It’s time to look back at the year that was and the issues in the PVC pipe industry for 2013 and see how they compare to what were the issues and trends in 2012. 

Some of the constant issues for the industry remain the same, pipe corrosion, burst water mains and the use of PE or DI pipes where PVC pipes have proven superior time and time again.

Below are some of the recurring issues for 2013, in our next article we’ll look at what we see are going to be the trends for 2014.

Pipe Corrosion
One of the biggest issues that continue to plague the pipe industry is pipe corrosion, with reports finding that corrosion in pipes is a major cause of all water break mains – an issue that is increasingly become a major concern in Australia.

A June 2013 Nine News special report highlighted the billions of litres of water that is lost due to old pipes and infrastructure not being update. 

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In Australia, we can see that forward thinking water authorities and councils are taking notice of the long term benefits of using PVC pipes for water Pipelines, with SA water agreeing with us regarding the water corrosion problem and writing back via Twitter.

@PipesPVC. Since early 90s we've been replacing & installing water mains in PVC or PE. We agree - they're durable & long lasting :)

Think Pipes Think PVC have created a Downloadable report on Pipe Corrosion - Download When Water Quality Matters, Corrosion is Not Sustainable Report.

PVC Pipe for Sewer Pipes

There has been some move away from PVC pipes towards PE pipes based on the concern of infiltration, however major sources of sewer infiltration have been shown to have no link to the use PVC pipe. In fact, PVC pipes save water and sewer utilities substantial amounts by reducing water loss and ingress into sewer systems compared to traditional systems. Gasket joints provided with PVC pipes are manufactured and tested to perform without any leakage.

The zero-leakage PVC joints enable sewer utilities to dramatically reduce wet weather inflows and avoid unnecessary treatment costs. Studies from both Australia and overseas have consistently shown that PVC pipes have the lowest failure rates of all pipe types. Similarly, water utilities have reported much lower unaccounted for water losses where systems comprised of PVC pipes.

Indeed, PVC pipe is also more resistant to root intrusion because it has fewer joints. Because of their flexibility, the tightly fitting PVC joints are less likely to leak as a result of settlement of backfill around the pipe.

After extensive studies into both PE and PVC pipes in areas including cost, constructability, performance and environmental sustainability, there is no justification for the adoption of PE sewers in preference to PVC. 

Think Pipes Think PVC have created a Downloadable report on PVC Pipes for Sewer - Download PVC Pipes – Clearly the Best Choice for Sewer Pipes in Australia Report.

Imported Non-Compliance PVC Pipes and Fittings
Another issue we saw come to the surface in 2013 was the influx of imported PVC fittings for plumbing that do not meet Australian Standard and may not be covered under warranty.

The concerns with the non-compliant pipes and fittings being used in the Australian market are not limited to warranty issues, but also these products may not meet the minimum Australian Standard strength requirements, particularly with regards to tensile and impact strength, which can result in failure.

The most common reason for non-compliance will be failure to comply with the composition requirements of AS/NZS1254 (Stormwater) and AS/NZS1260 (DWV).

Check that your PVC plumbing fittings are WaterMark certified to Australian Standards and are Best Environmental Practice PVC.

 Wimmera Mallee Pipeline completion

One of the great success stories in 2013 was the final phase completion for the Wimmera Mallee pipeline.

The project involves replacing 17,000km of wasteful open channels with around 9,000km of pressure pipeline. Something over 8,500km of this was plastics pipe -the  large majority being PVC.

The use of PVC pipes has aided the development of rapid, yet reliable installation techniques and contributed to the economic viability of the project. This project may have been based on environmental grounds and water recovery but its benefits extend well beyond this aspect and we need to see more projects like this being undertaken by all levels of Government.

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